BACKGROUND Hypnotics have been reported to be associated with dementia. However, the relationship between insomnia, hypnotics and dementia is still controversial. We sought to examine the risk of dementia in patients with long-term insomnia and the contribution of hypnotics. METHODS Data was collected from Taiwan's Longitudinal Health Insurance Database. The study cohort comprised all patient...

Seven per cent of prescription forms issued in a mining practice were not presented at chemists for dispensing. The people least likely to present their prescription forms were men aged 25-34 years, particularly miners. To get sickness benefit these men have to consult a doctor, but the medical content of the consultation in these circumstances is often perceived by them as irrelevant and the m...

This review focuses on the unique clinical and molecular pharmacologic features of etomidate. Among general anesthesia induction drugs, etomidate is the only imidazole, and it has the most favorable therapeutic index for single-bolus administration. It also produces a unique toxicity among anesthetic drugs: inhibition of adrenal steroid synthesis that far outlasts its hypnotic action and that m...

Citation: Jakovljevic M, Lazarevic M, Jurisevic M and Jovanovic MR (2015) When cure becomes an illness—abuse of addictive prescription medicines. Substance Addiction as Societal Phenomenon—the Case of Serbia Psychoactive substance addiction presents a challenging public health issue worldwide particularly targeting vulnerable adolescent population (Babor et al., 2007). The illegal market turnov...

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to determine the sedative load and use of sedative and psychotropic medications among older people with dementia living in (residential) care homes. METHODS Medication data were collected at baseline and at two further time-points for eligible residents of six care homes participating in the EVIDEM-End Of Life (EOL) study for whom medication administ...

The discrimination between different enantiomers of chiral compounds by the biological system is medically important as the pharmacological and toxicological effects of enantiomeric drugs significantly differ depending on their stereostructures. One enantiomer is preferred over its enantiomeric counterpart and a racemic mixture for higher activity or lower toxicity. Such enantioselectivity has ...

OBJECTIVE Newer non-benzodiazepines zolpidem and zopiclone ("Z-drugs") are often prescribed instead of benzodiazepine hypnotics, although there is no evidence of differences in effectiveness and safety. Aim was to compare perceptions on benefits and harms of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs between general practitioners (GPs) and community pharmacists (CPs). METHODS A questionnaire was mailed to a...

AIM To determine the prevalence of psychotropic medication prescribing in elderly nursing home residents in Slovenia and to explore the residents', physicians', and nursing home characteristics associated with prescribing. METHODS In a cross-sectional study, we collected the data for 2040 nursing home residents aged 65 years and older in 12 nursing homes in Slovenia between September 25 and N...

BACKGROUND In practical sleep medicine, therapists face the question of whether or not to discontinue the ongoing use of hypnotics in patients, as well as the possible effects of discontinuation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of discontinuing third-generation hypnotics on the results of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) for primary insomnia in patients after long-term abus...